A thought about bisexual “myth busting”
Following this, this and some other conversations.
Reinforcing the notion that we’re “actually normal” isn’t fighting biphobia, but rather something more like a form of bi assimilationism. It does more to harm than benefit us, making bisexuals capitulate to social norms and throwing overboard everyone who doesn’t meet the standard.
What of the many, many people who don’t fit in the standard of the “normal bisexual”, or indeed the “good bisexual”? Some of us are sluts (read: sexually independent women), some of us are just experimenting, some of us like women only sexually, some like to have threesomes and perform bisexuality for men, some are AIDS and STI carriers, some don’t practice safer sex, some of us are indecisive and confused, some of us cheat on our partners, some of us do choose to be bi, and many many more things that the “myth busting” tries to cast off – and those are just the ones who are openly derided by the myth-busting. Bi people of color, bi trans and genderqueer people, bi sex workers, bi homeless people, bi working class people, bi disabled people and many many more bisexual groups are at best neglected by the bi movement if not outright rejected. Are all of those to mire behind while the beautiful, the good and the right run ahead?
A struggle for bisexual rights should be a struggle for everyone’s rights, and if the bisexual movement focuses its efforts only on the tiny group of people who do fit the standard, then something is very wrong indeed.
Love, rage and pride
